Flat-screen TVs are the hot target for a number of burglars, who have hit dozens of homes over the past month and a half in the 3rd New Orleans Police District, which encompasses Gentilly, Mid-City and Lakeview, according to investigators.

wo months ago, truck driver Shawn McClue moved back to his Gentilly neighborhood that’s a patchwork of recovery.

“I've been burglarized twice,” McClue said.

Police reports show burglars first kicked in his back door and stole his flat screen TV. Then a week later, burglars struck again, kicking in his front door, stealing the TV he said he had just replaced.

“I put the iron on the back door, but felt reluctant to put it on the front,” McClue continued, “but now I have [an iron gate] on the front door."

And according to New Orleans Police, McClue is not alone.

"It started several months ago that people were kicking in doors, and it was a trend that large flat screen TV’s were stolen," said 3^rd District Detective Michael Sam.

"They were probably doing around 6 or 7 a week, so they were hitting us pretty good," 3^rd District Commander Greg Elder said.

McClue said his neighborhood is an example of how bad the break-ins have been in Gentilly.

"[Burglars hit] my neighbor behind me, my neighbor across the street, and I didn't know one of the police officers who came to the scene, she stay a couple blocks behind me, and her house was even burglarized," McClue said.

In the third district alone, police have received reports of nearly 50 burglaries just in the last month and a half.

Everybody that has remodeled their house has flat screen TVs. Before the hurricane, if you had a big screen TV, a 36-inch picture tube, it would take five people to drag one out," Elder said.

According to investigators, McClue's TV helped police catch three burglary suspects last week when one of them got into a car accident on Franklin Avenue with the TV in the car.

Police arrested three men at the scene, two with prior burglary, theft and drug arrests, including 31-year-old Detril Martin and 34-year-old Terrence Martin on burglary charges.

Another man, Michael Sanders, was arrested for possession of stolen property.

"Since July 30th, in the past fourteen days, we've made nine burglary arrests," Elder said.

Now, detectives said they will try to match fingerprints from at least 14 past burglary reports to the new suspects.

Police said they are also hoping to find all cases that may have involved a blue Chevrolet Lumina, just like the one that Martin was in when he allegedly got into an accident last week.

Elder asks anyone with information about past Gentilly-area robberies that may have involved a blue Lumina to call his detectives at (504) 658-6030.